Praxair, Air Products hike North American prices

10:43 AM MST | January 4, 2013 | —Lindsay Frost

Praxair will increase prices for customers in the bulk and packaged, industrial, electronics, specialty, and medial gas industries in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, effective 1 January. Nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide will rise up to 15%; argon and hydrogen up to 20%; helium up to 30%; facility fees or monthly bulk product charges and cylinder rental rates will increase up to 15%; and hard goods up to 15%, the company says. The increases are due to persistent supply/demand imbalances for some products in North America combined with rises in the...